Sunday, February 10, 2002

Posted by Mike Tarrani
11:12 PMImportant. I haven't authenticated this, but it comes from a source whom I trust. The warning is:

The IRS Criminal Investigations Division recently sent out an alert to law enforcement agencies regarding this scam. PLEASE READ and FORWARD to others, so they might not be a victim of what could seriously damage you financially.

Some taxpayers have received e-mails from a non-IRS source indicating that the taxpayer is under audit and needs to complete a questionnaire within 48 hours to avoid the assessment of penalties and interest. The e-mail refers to an "e-audit" and references IRS form 1040. The taxpayer is asked for social security numbers, bank account numbers and other confidential information. The IRS does not conduct e-audits, nor does it notify taxpayers of a pending audit via e-mail.

That e-mail is not from the IRS. Any e-mail received of this nature should be saved so that a computer forensics investigation can be conducted to determine the originator. Law enforcement personnel should remain cognizant of this latest identity theft ploy. And this social engineering exploit is not limited to the U.S.A. A criminal in your country can also pull a scam like this. Be warned! More info at: webmaster@fleoa.org - Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association.

I did do a quick Google search and discovered that this scam is also being pulled over the phone.